Ah, hummus. The vegan's original BFF. It's tasty, chock-full of protein and other things your body needs, and oh so versatile! Hummus is one of my favorite things to have in the kitchen, and it is also one of my favorite things to make. All you need is a food processor and you are hummus-ready!

I usually like to add a fun flavor to my hummus, though the classic flavor profile of sesame, chickpea, lemon, salt and garlic is never a bad idea. Today's hummus has parsley in it for a cool and refreshing twist. There are a thousand different things that can be added to your hummus for mixing up the flavor - cilantro, jalapeno, cayenne pepper, curry powder, roasted red peppers, roasted tomatoes, oregano, olive tapenade...you see? It's as simple as throwing as much of your flavor twist in as you want to taste. Have fun with your hummus, folks.

Hippie Hummus

Takes about 10 minutes to make

Ingredients for a sharing-sized bowl.

1 can of garbanzo beans/chickpeas (OR ideally, buy 1.5 cups uncooked garbanzo beans, soak them overnight and then boil them for an hour, then hummus)

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/2 lemon

1-4 cloves garlic (depending on your desired spiciness)

1/2 bunch of parsley (or whatever your flavor is!)

salt

pepper

Directions:

Peel your garlic, don't chop it. That's what food processors are for! Add garlic cloves, parsley and sesame oil to the processor first and pulse until they are broken down. Processing solid items and oil before adding chickpeas allows those items to get broken down into smaller pieces while the oil moisturizes them for optimal mixing capabilities. Very scientific, I know.

Add chickpeas and a little bit more oil to the mix. Process until chunky/smooth. At this point, everything will frustratingly gravitate towards the walls of the food processor. Just shove it all back down with a spoon before step 3.

Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to the mix. Process until smooth.

If the mixture is still clumping up along the sides, you need more liquid. Add sesame oil or lemon juice until everything is a smooth consistency. Some people enjoy a more oily hummus, but I prefer mine kind of chunky!

Yum! Now that you've got a big sexy bowl of hippie hummus, it's time to get creative with your meals. Throw it on top of tabbouleh or inside of a lunch wrap with some spring beet slaw. Eat it with falafels from the mediterranean market, or simply break out the carrot sticks and celery. I enjoy hummus spread on toast and topped with avocado, or dolloped on a spinach salad. You know what, just go ahead and eat this with everything for the next few days!